Coupler



Feb. 5,1924. 1,482,751

E. P. KINNE COUPLER Filed oct. 5 1922 Patented Feb. 5, 1924.

unirn. STATES mirar err-fica.

nnMUNn rg. ninna, or ALLIANCE, omo, AssIGNoa To AMERICAN STEEL roumains, a

p or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, A CORPORATION orfnnw JERSEY.

COUPLER.

Application led October 5, 1922. Serial No. 5,552,520.'v i. e

To all whom t 'may ccm-ccm.'

a citizen of the United States,v residing at Alliance, in the county of Sta-rk and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Couplers, of whic the following lisa specification.

This invention relates to couplers. Couplers are subjected to excessive l strains, especially under severe service con- .tabl1shed, as a result of'actual extreme servditions. As a result of actual service conditions and also experiments, it is found under severe conditions that when the coupler. is subjected to high compressive forces that the shank thereof shows. a definite set and a reduction in the length of the key-hole longitudinally of the shank. The set and reduction in length of the key .hole in cer.-

tain instances has made: it impossible `toapply or withdraw av standard key `with respect to said hole. f

Accordingly, one object of the invention is to improve the design of the shank of` what is known asthe standard' type D' coupler in a manner to reduce the `set therein and to .prevent reduction in the length of' the key-hole underexcessively high comy pressive forces.

Another object I s to rovide a simple, du-

. rabl'e and efficient coup er shank adapted to meet the various requirements under service conditions. f

These and other objects are accomplished s by means of the arrangement disclosed on which- Figure 1 is al top plan view of a coupler, parts being shown 1n section, embodying my invention; i Figure 2 is aside elevationtof` tlfsame coupler, parts being shown in section; 'and Figure 3 is a sectional view taken in the plane of line 8-3 ofFigure 2. The various novel features of the inven- 4 tion will be apparent from the'following description and drawings and will be par- .a key-hole therein, t ere, being a'wall of ticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the figures of the drawings, it will be noted that the invention is illustrated in connection with what is known as the standard type D cou ler, having a head 10 and shank 11. It wi 1- beA noted that the Ashank is hollow and is provided with upperand lowery walls 12 and 13 respectively', 85

and side walls 14. The Arear wall 15'of the the accompanying sheet of drawings, in-

ment.

center of the shank toward the Side walls 14 4 v shank is provided'with an opening 16 for facilitating thelmolding of the shank and ice co-nditions,p and alsov as a result of experiment, that the lshank shows a definite set aid that the key-hole 17 has Abeen reduced in length longitudinally ofthe shank under excessively high compressive forces. v Under extreme cases it has beenfound that this distortion has been sufficient-ly extensive to make it impossible to apply or withdraw a standard key-with respect to the key-hole. l To overcome'this set in the shank and to prevent a reduction of the key-hole lon itudinally ofthe shank, the design of t e' shank has been improved. This improvement includes the provision of a wall 18 of metal entirely-surrounding the key-holel 17 throughout the transverse length thereof and connecting the upper and lower portions of said walliyvith the upper and lower outer walls 12 and y13 respectively of the shankbymeansof integrally formed reinforcing pillars orlportions 19. Preferably lthe reinforcing pillars 19 are arranged midway between the vside walls of the coupler shank and adjacent the ends of the key-hole longitudinally of the shank, associated pillars .19 referably lbeing in verticall alignhe front and rear portions of the wal-l 18 are' increasedin thickness from the e5, thereof, as shown particularly in Figure 1.

It is my intention to cover all. modifications of the invention falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims.:

I claim: i loo 1. A coupler havin a; hollow shank with metal entirely surrounding the key-hole, and a lplurality of. reinforcing portions extending in the samejdireztgnfbetween said wall and the opposit erwalls of the shank for reducing the p therein and preventing reduction intheflength of the keyhole longitudinallyofthe shank undercompressve forces.

2. A coupler having a hollow shank with a transverse keyhole therein, there being a Wall of metal entirely surrounding the key,

hole, andvertical reinforcing portions extending between said Wall and the upper and lower outer walls of the shank for reduc-ing the set therein and preventing reduction of the length of the key-hole longitudinally of the shank under compressive forces.

3. A coupler havin a hollow shank with a transversely extending key-hole therein,

athere being a wall of metal surrounding the key-hole, and vertically aligned reinforcing portions extending between said vWall and outer Walls of said shank for reducing the set therein and preventing reduction in the length of the key-hole longitudinally of the shank under compressive forces.

Signed at Allianbe, Ohio, this 30th day 0f September, 1922.

EDMUND 1?. KINNE. 

